Matthew intensifies the story
Matthew's Gospel is based on Mark's, but with added details
March 23, 2008 -- Easter Sunday, The Resurrection of the Lord
By Fr. Mike Stubbs
When I write the initial draft for my column, it often exceeds the word limit. I have to revise it, tighten up the language, to clarify the thoughts as well as bring the article to an acceptable length.
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Matthew's is the longest of the four Gospels leading many people to think that it was the first to be written, an initial draft for the other Gospels. More recently, though, most scholars have concluded that Mark's Gospel, the shortest, was the first to be written. Matthew based his Gospel largely upon Mark's, amplifying it by adding other materials and rewriting it to reflect his own theology.
Sunday's Gospel reading provides us with a good example of that. (There are two possible readings for Easter Sunday morning: John 20:1-9, or Matthew 28:1-10, which this article will examine.)
Matthew's account of the visit to Jesus' tomb on Easter Sunday morning follows the general outline of the story in Mark: The women visit the tomb. They discover that it is empty. They encounter a young man (an angel?) who informs them that Jesus is risen. They receive instructions to share the news with the disciples and to have them travel to Galilee where they will meet Jesus.
While Matthew echoes Mark's account, Matthew introduces various details to clarify and explain the story. For example, Mark states that there is a young man at the empty tomb, without telling us his name or his origins. Some scholars link this mysterious figure to the young man who flees during Jesus' arrest, Mark 14:51. Matthew identifies that young man as the angel of the Lord, whom the women see descend from heaven. Mark describes the young man as being dressed in a white robe. Matthew describes the angel as having an appearance like lightning and clothing white as snow. Mark's account prompts us to ask questions, while Matthew seeks to answer them.
Like Mark's Gospel, Matthew's Gospel has the young man/angel instruct the women to inform the disciples about Jesus' resurrection and have them go to Galilee. But Matthew's Gospel goes a step further. The risen Jesus appears to the women and repeats that instruction. Matthew's account of this appearance of the risen Jesus to the women reinforces the message of the angel, as well as adds to the drama of the story. After all, Jesus, who is the focus of the story, has up until now not been visible. He has been conspicuous by his absence. And suddenly he appears. Now that's drama.
In his retelling of Mark's story, Matthew has added details which sharpen the story and make it more intense, less prosaic. This is more than just a difference in style, a matter of dramatic flair. Matthew wagers that an angel descending from heaven is more likely to catch our attention than a young man who just happens to be at the empty tomb. Matthew wants to proclaim the good news of Jesus' resurrection with great fanfare. He wants everyone to hear.
(Fr. Stubbs, a priest of the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kan., has a master's degree in theology from Harvard.)
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